“Welcome to Musical Memories brought to you from the Mortlock Studio of All Hallows Mews, Westbourne Park. I am John, your presenter today, and I hope you enjoy the music I have chosen.”

With these opening words, Musical Memories – a one-and-a-half to two-hour simulated radio program hosted by resident John in the communal lounge of AnglicareSA’s All Hallows Mews Retirement Village each month – hits the airwaves.

For more than a year, John has been creating and presenting what he calls a “simulated radio program” for his neighbours, whereby music is pre-queued on a CD player and the show is hosted live, in-person, with a microphone and speaker.

At the start of each program, John encourages those in his audience to close their eyes and imagine they are listening to the radio at home in their favourite armchair or while driving in the car.

He also encourages them to “phone in” throughout each program to share their memories or experiences with songs by passing him written notes during segments.

 

 

To prepare for each program, John trawls through his music library of more than 3,000 songs, selecting just 22 for a dedicated playlist. He then burns the playlist on a CD and prints an accompanying insert listing all the songs.

He then researches content to present between songs, which includes the weather, news, and fun trivia behind certain songs played.

While he plays a variety of music from the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, there is one artist he will never play on his program.

“You will never find me playing Jimmy Barnes,” John said.

The idea for this “homegrown entertainment”, as John called it, came from his years working as a radio presenter for a two-hour program called Roundabout on Radio Adelaide and his love for broadcasting.

“After leaving my presenter role, I retained the bulk of the music on iTunes on my computer,” he said.

“It came to me that it was a pity such a collection, which had been lying idle for eight years, should not continue to be shared with others.”

John’s foray into radio came after an illustrious career in the business world, including as the Deputy General Manager of St John Ambulance Service SA overseeing hundreds of volunteers and employees.

It was for this role that he was granted an Order of Australia by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1993.

With 15 simulated radio programs under his belt, John said the response among his neighbours had been overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s been particularly well received so far, and people look forward to it,” John said.

“A lot of them say they are hearing this music and suddenly are relating and learning more about it in this stage of life.

“It is bringing people together, and they are not a homogeneous group. There is a disparity amongst them in their interests, but the radio program brings them together for a common purpose.”